Rights body members visit Australia

Rights body members visit Australia

JAKARTA (JP): Four members of the National Commission on Human
Rights have gone to Canberra for a week to tell their Australian
counterparts about their work and Indonesia's human rights
program.

Led by the commission deputy chairman Miriam Budiardjo, the
delegation left Monday; although the official visit began
yesterday and will end July 2, according to Antara.

The visit was arranged by Australia's Human Rights and Equal
Opportunity Commission.

Marzuki Darusman, Clementino Dos Reis Amaral, Soegiri and
Miriam are expected to meet Foreign Minister Alexander Downer and
Federal Attorney General Daryl Williams.

They are also expected to meet Minister of Immigration and
Multicultural Affairs Philip Ruddock, Commission on Aborigines
chief Gatjil Djekurrua, human rights campaigners -- Chris Sidoti,
Bill Barker, Pip Dargan, Margie Cook, Robert McCorquodale -- and
Harold Crouch of the Australian National University.

Next Tuesday, the delegation is to attend a conference,
organized by the Australian human rights commission, to discuss
international and domestic "instruments of human rights," racial
discrimination and other issues.

The conference will also discuss proposals for cooperation
between Australia's and Indonesia's rights bodies.

Earlier this week, Australian Ambassador to Indonesia John
McCarthy acknowledged that the human rights record in East Timor
was improving.

McCarthy said this during a meeting Monday with the chairman
of the Indonesian rights commission's East Timor office, Alex
Refialy, in the provincial capital of Dili.

McCarthy had been accompanied by the embassy's political
affairs secretary Bassin Blazey, Antara reported.

Rafiely said he had told his guests that human rights cases in
East Timor were handled by the commission in cooperation with the
police, prosecutors' office, provincial administration and Armed
Forces.

"The commission's local office is acting only as a bridge
between the public and law enforcers," he said. "We don't solve
cases, but forward them to the authorized agencies."

Rafiely acknowledged that residents had complained that they
were scared of reporting to the commission's office because it
was near the military headquarters.

"There's not yet any directive (from the commission in
Jakarta) to relocate the office," he said.

He conceded that many people chose to complain, instead, to
the Dili diocese's Commission for Justice and Peace. "But the
rights commission has always worked with the diocese in handling
problems," he said. (swe)